For the 2023-2024 school year, Morris Hills has taken several measures to enhance the safety of its students. In addition to implementing software such as Gaggle and Navigate 360, a new School Resource Officer, Morris Hills graduate Officer Kevin Kukan, and a new Class 3 Officer, retired Officer Darren Dachisen, were hired to ensure student safety.
Officer Dachisen, a 1986 graduate of Morris Knolls, was raised in Rockaway Township and received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in administrative sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Following college, Officer Dachisen joined the Madison Police Department at age 23, working his way through the ranks to eventually become the Chief of Police. He spent 30 years in service before retiring.
Now, Officer Dachisen is Morris Hills’ Class 3 Officer, which is a position that was created by the state and is open to all retired police officers in good standing. Per Officer Dachisen, his day-to-day duties include being “eyes and ears” to ensure student safety, and “supporting any way that [he] can” to “keep things safe.” He loves interacting with everyone, and giving out fist-bumps to students walking down the hallway. “I really am enjoying working here with the staff and students,” puts Officer Dachisen. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you guys.”
Officer Dachisen views his role as putting himself between students and any potential danger. “If you see me running towards something, that means you better go the opposite way,” as he tells students. With a father having been the Rockaway Township Chief of Police, an uncle having been the Rockaway Borough Chief of Police, a brother having been Rockaway Township mayor, and another brother being a correctional officer, being a cop was something Officer Dachisen always wanted to do. He describes his familial ties as ” my calling” for a career in public service.
Officer Dachisen loves spending time with his family, which includes his wife, his 3 children, his 2 dogs, and several frogs. On top of coaching pee wee football, he is an “avid lifter” who likes working on old cars in his free time. And like most Morris Hills students and faculty, Officer Dachisen is a fan of M&S.
Officer Dachisen works in tandem with the new Student Resource Officer, Officer Kukan. Officer Kukan was born and raised in Rockaway Borough and graduated from Morris Hills in 2007. While a Scarlet Knight, he played football and baseball for 4 years, and was a 3 season athlete for all 4 years of high school. Officer Kukan spent one year at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, before returning to New Jersey to get his Associates Degree in criminal justice from the County College of Morris. He then worked as a security guard and in the Morris County Jail before returning to Rockaway to be a patrolman answering calls between Boonton Township and Rockaway.
Once a juvenile officer who taught students in the DARE program, Officer Kukan “always liked working with kids.” While also being “a big Morris Hills school spirit kind of guy,” he loved the opportunity to return to Morris Hills, and started his job as the Student Resource Officer on Jan. 1, 2024.
His day-to-day responsibilities include greeting students as they arrive at school in the morning, ensuring both students and faculty are parking correctly and safely, and offering advice to students on “anything,” as Officer Kukan puts it. With his career as a police officer, students interested in joining the police force can and have approached him for his opinions on what their next steps in college and beyond should be. Additionally, if students had AirPods, cell phones, or computers lost or stolen, Officer Kukan can use security camera footage to help find such personal items. Officer Kukan wants students to know that his “door’s always open,” that “you can come here and ask me anything,” and that his favorite part of the job is to hear about students’ successes in conversation, particularly their sports accomplishments. And in the spring, Officer Kukan will coach baseball for the Morris Hills team.
Officer Kukan credits his grandfather, a Newark police officer from 1957 to 1992, as well as Morris Hills’ own Mr. Tony Lusardi, for being the most influential people in his life. “I am who I am,” Officer Kukan believes, because of the positive example of his grandfather, and how Mr. Lusardi “took [Officer Kukan] under his wing” through his gym and through guiding Officer Kukan on the right path as a father figure.
Still a sport enthusiast, Officer Kukan likes spending time with his two daughters and playing golf. Much like Officer Dachisen, M&S is his go-to spot, although he prefers Caffè NaVona for a nice sit-down meal. He is about to finish his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from Kean University, and hopes to obtain his Master’s in public administration to set up future career success.
Both Officers Kukan and Dachisen view their interactions with the student body as their favorite part of the job. Despite the potentially intimidating nature of their uniforms, the officers seek a relaxed and comfortable environment in jobs they view as their “calling.”